Sawyer County has such a nice mixture of small, medium and large lakes to fish. There are plenty of bigger lakes in this area that you can target if you like fishing bigger bodies of water. Many of these lakes will give you a better chance of finding better numbers of fish and more quality fish. It isn’t always easy to find fish on larger bodies of water, but if you put in the time, there is some very good fishing available on the bigger lakes of Sawyer County.
Chippewa Flowage
The Chippewa Flowage is one of the best bodies of water to fish in all of Wisconsin. It is a premier fishery for many different species of fish. Anglers target muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish on the flowage. Largemouth bass and northern pike have been showing up in better numbers, especially in the clearer, weedier western basin. The smallmouth fishery has become outstanding in the darker, river-connected waters of the eastern basin. Walleye have always been here in good numbers, however, the flowage is known for its abundance of smaller walleye.
This is a unique fishery because it fishes like a big water destination, but most of the lake is protected well, so you can fish the majority of this lake with a smaller boat with no problems. A bigger, faster boat is nice to get you around the lake faster, but if you have a smaller boat, you can have a blast here too.
The Chippewa Flowage is also home to the world record muskie that weighed in at 69 pounds and 11 ounces. There are plenty of places to stay on this body of water and many fishing guides are available to help you have a better fishing trip.
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a 5,139 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 90 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from 3 public boat landings. Fish include muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish. According to the DNR, northern pike are abundant in this lake. Muskie, walleye, smallmouth bass and panfish are common in the lake. Largemouth bass are listed as present. The water is very clear.
Round Lake
Round Lake is a 3,294 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 74 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from 3 public boat landings. Fish include muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish. According to the DNR, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and walleye are abundant in this lake. Panfish are common in the lake. Northern pike and muskie are listed as present.
Grindstone Lake
Grindstone Lake is a 3,176 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 60 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from 2 public boat landings. Fish include muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish. According to the DNR, walleye are abundant in this lake. Muskie, northern pike and smallmouth bass are common in the lake. Largemouth bass and panfish are listed as present.
Nelson Lake
Nelson Lake is a 2,716 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 33 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from 6 public boat landings. Fish include northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish. According to the DNR, walleye are abundant in this lake. Largemouth bass and panfish are common. Smallmouth bass and northern pike are listed as present. The water is murky.
Lake Chetac
Lake Chetac is a 2,400 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 26 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from multiple public boat landings. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, largemouth bass, northern pike and panfish are abundant in the lake while smallmouth bass and walleye are listed as present.
Moose Lake
Moose Lake is a 1,559 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 21 feet. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, muskie, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, muskie and walleye are abundant in the lake while smallmouth bass and panfish are considered common. Largemouth bass are listed as present. The water is moderately clear.
Quiet Lakes
Lost Land Lake, Teal Lake, and Ghost Lake make up the Quiet Lakes. These lakes are located in the Hayward, Wisconsin area and they stand out from the other lakes in this area because they have a 10 mph speed limit, but no motor size limit, so you can have use your boat with a big motor, but you just can’t go over 10 mph on the lake. This prohibits waterskiing and jet skiing, which makes these lakes much quieter and calmer. It’s a great place to enjoy some excellent fishing without the big wakes from other boaters, although, it is going to take you a little longer to cover water and fish different spots.
Learn more about fishing the Quiet Lakes.
Spider Lake Chain of Lakes
The Spider Chain of Lakes is located 14 miles northeast of Hayward, Wisconsin in Sawyer County. This chain consists of 5 interconnected lakes and are known for being a good fishery for walleye, muskie, bass and panfish.
Tiger Cat Flowage
Tiger Cat Flowage is a 1,012 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 30 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing. Fish include muskie, walleye, largemouth bass and panfish. According to the DNR, muskie are abundant in this lake. Largemouth bass and panfish are common in the lake. Walleye are listed as present.
Sand Lake
Sand Lake is a 949 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 50 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing. Fish include muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish. According to the DNR, walleye are abundant in this lake. Muskie and northern pike are common in the lake. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish are listed as present. The water is murky.
Sissabagama Lake
Sissabagama Lake is a 805 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 48 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing. Fish include muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish. According to the DNR, walleye are abundant in this lake. Muskie and panfish are common in the lake. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike are listed as present. The water is murky.
Whitefish Lake
Whitefish Lake is a 800 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 105 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing. Fish include muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, trout and panfish. According to the DNR, northern pike are abundant in this lake. Muskie, walleye, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are common in the lake. Trout and panfish are listed as present. The lake’s water is moderately clear.
Windigo Lake
Windigo Lake is a 503 acre lake located in Sawyer County. It has a maximum depth of 51 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from a public boat landing. Fish include northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish. According to the DNR, walleye are abundant in this lake. The other species of fish are listed as present. The water is moderately clear.
